Color-stable toilet waters and perfumes



Patented Dec. 29, 1953 (JOLOR-STA BLE TOILET WATERS AND PERFUMES Arthur Lawrence Fox, Short Hills, and Robert James Mehafiey, River Edge, N. J., assignors to Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Company, Jersey City, N. J., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application November 13, 1950, Serial No. 195,492

2 Claims. (CI. 167-90) This invention relates to co metic compositions and more particularly to toilet waters and perfumes containing certain additives em loyed for the purpose of stabilizing the color of such compositions.

Perfumes and toilet waters, including aftershave lotions, which are es entially alcohol or aqueous alcohol solutions of perfume ingredients, and with or without antiseptic ingredients. are in general m xtures which in most cases have added thereto a dye to impart an attractive color thereto and hence enhance their sales appeal. In the past these dye-containing mixtures have had a tendency to quickly fade after exposure to sun-- light. This tendencv of such mixtures to fade when exposed to sunlight for any period of time adversely affects their marketability.

It is therefore an. object of this nvention to provide cosmetic preparations of the type described above which have added thereto certain organic compounds which impart color stability to the compositions.

The above and related objects are accomplished in accordance with the present nvention by adding to these compositons a small proportion of benzoyl resorcinol. The presence of this additive in a dye-containing perfume. toilet water, after-shave lotion. or the like. stabilizes the color thereof in a surprisingly efiective manner.

It has been found that a proportion of benzoyl resorcinol ranging from about 0.005% by weight to about 0.25% by weight is sufiicient to bring about a very eflicient stability as to color in cosmetic compositions of the kind herein involved. While of course more of the additive could be used, such excess is not necessary for the desired result and hence is uneconomical.

Specific embodiments of the principle of the present invention are illustrated by the following examples:

EXAMPLE I Toilet water A composition having substantially the following formula:

is made up by the following method:

A conventional violet-type perfume oil and benzoyl resorcinol are dissolved in the alcohol base. The water and glycerine are weighed together and slowly added to the alcohol-, perfumeand benz'oyl resorcinol-mixture. The desired colors in the conventional small proportions (Q. S.) are then added and the toilet water composition is chilled and filtered.

On testing the resulting product after 20 hours exposure in the fadeometer it showed little change in color. A control sample containing all the other ingredients except the benzoyl resorcinol (and compounded in the same manner) faded completely under the same conditions.

EXAMPLE II Perfume A composition having substantially the following formula:

Per cent by weight Ethyl alcohol (S. D. 40) 87.995 Perfume oil 12.

Benzoyl resorcinolf 0.005

FD&C Blue #1 Q. S.

FD&C Yellow #5 Q. S.

EXAMPLE III After-shave lotion A composition having substantially the following formula:

Per cent by weight Ethyl alcohol (S. D. 40) 54.800 Perfume oil 0.500 Benzoyl resorcinol 0.005 Boric acid (antiseptic) 0.250 Water 42.445 Glycerine 2.000 FD&C Blue #1 Q. S FD&C Yellow #5 Q.S

is made up essentially as in Example I except that the boric acid component is first added to the water with the glycerine. Fadeometer tests of this after-shave lotion show excellent color stability in comparison with the color stability of an otherwise similar composition not provided with the benzoyl resorcinol. I

The nature of the dyes and perfumes employed in the composition of the present invention is of,

course not critical, and those skilled in the cos metics art may select those components at, will from the wide variety available in the art.

Other solvents may be substituted in whole. or in part for the ethyl alcohol, but in general alcoholic solvents are preferred and of these ethyl alcohol is especially well adapted for use herein.

It has also been discovered that these perfume oil-alcohol mixtures, either aqueous or non-aqueous as the case may be, and containing the active benzoyl resorcinol stabilizing ingre-e dient, have utility also a sunburn preventives. The benzoyl resorcinol apparently acts as an ultraviolet ray-absorber and prevents theseharm iul rays. from burning the skin. This p y of thebenzoyl resorcinol additive apparently functions in the same manner when used in toilet Waters and perfumes and the like, that is, it prevents the deleterious action of the ultra violet rays on the dyes contained in these mixtures thereby stabilizing them against fading.

What has been disclosed are specific embodiments of theipresent invention. Other embodiments apparent to one skilled in the art from these teachings are contemplated to be within 4 i the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

A colored liquid cosmetic preparation comprising a major proportion of an alcohol-perfume oil mixture having a small amount of a normally light-sensitive dye incorporated therein, and from about 0.005% to 0.25% by weight to stabilize the color of said mixture, of benzoyl resorcinol.

2. A colored liquid toilet preparation comprising a solution of a major proportion of an alcohol-perfume oil-water mixture containing a normally light-senstive dye therein and from about 0.005% to 0.25% by weight to stabil ze the color of said mixture, of benzoyl resorcinol.

ARTHUR LAWRENCE FOX. ROBERT JAMES MEI-IAFFEY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES. PATENT Num er Name Date 1,884,431; Watson l Got. 25, 1,932 2,568,894 Mackey Sept. 25,, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 406,195 Great Britain Feb. 22, 193% OTHER REFERENCES Bennett, Cosmetic Formulary (1937), page 208. 

1. A COLORED LIQUID COSMETIC PREPARATION COMPRISING A MAJOR PROPORTION OF AN ALCOHOL-PERFUME OIL MIXTURE HAVING A SMALL AMOUNT OF A NORMALLY LIGHT-SENSITIVE DYE INCORPORATED THEREIN, AND FROM ABOUT 0.005% TO 0.25% BY WEIGHT TO STABILIZE THE COLOR OF SAID MIXTURE. OF BENZOYL RESORCINOL. 